For those of you who don't know me, I have been to about 3 of the chops,
2 Tiki Oasis', and a few SFV events. I have been out of the picture for a bit due to health reasons and I am ready to go back to carving.

I carve on my balcony and I have done about 5 tikis.

I am by no means a traditional style tiki carver, and I usually
decorate my pad with my work or give it as gifts.
Here are a few.

Here is a progress pic of my current carving.<br>

Any comments would be appreciated.
I can't seem to grasp the whole 3-D thing.

Hey Dave, you just keep doing what you're doing and don't worry about sanding or any of that crap, you're on a natural progression to get where you're happy with what you've made, and each one will get easier for you! Some folks would argue that the ancient works weren't overly sanded, moreover they were rough as hell! There are plenty of examples of tiki's in the rough here that are amazing! And you made some nice, deep cuts into several of them already, you know where you're going dude! You're doing a fine job laddy!

Tucson, I don't make a lot of posts, but your critique came off a little like a Mister Know-it-all, for a self proclaimed "Rookie" carver. The one thing I've noticed about how folks here comment on others work is to look for the good points in someones work and focus the encouragement and praise to help guide them on, not make them feel like crap! Maybe I should have PM'ed you on this but it's bugging me! Sorry.
_________________The Birdman
Same as it ever was! (But what looms on the horizon, hmm?)

Right on both parts, Your tikis are looking great for your first ones and Much better than Mine did at this stage. Just search here and the 'net for tiki images, the more you have to look at the more you figure out how to do the features that work best for you. Most of all be safe and have FUN! That's what it's ALL About.

I am sorry if I sounded a little rough. I was a little buzzed last night. Your stuff is great like I said. Make yourself happy with your carves. That's the most important part of this hobby is enjoying what you do. Again I apologize. Sorry. Keep at it and you will progress with every one.

Tuscon Tiki's comments were edited before I got a chance to see them so no harm no foul. It looks like it had to do with sanding.

What do most people use to do their sanding?
I have a flat palm sander which I find doesn't work well. (Paper tears)
I use a flex shaft tool with drum sander attachments to get in the cracks.
I have been thinking about getting an angle grinder with a sanding disc.

For inspiration, I use Tiki Magazine, "Tiki Modern", and "Tiki Style", or other
people's tikis I see online.

Thanks for all of your responses.
I hope to make it to the chops again.
I would host one if I could fit more than 2 people on my balcony.

One of my favorite tools to use is my 4" grinder with 36 grit sandpaper. It removes a lot of material in short order. You still have to sand after you use it, but it can smooth out chisel marks easily.
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One of my favorite tools to use is my 4" grinder with 36 grit sandpaper. It removes a lot of material in short order. You still have to sand after you use it, but it can smooth out chisel marks easily.

Amen to that! Once I discovered this, I was able to make alot of progress with my large tikis. Still not done them yet though...

I hope you are feeling better. I have found that most people at this site are really freindly and helpful. I have just recently joined and people just to very encouraging. While i don't have much to offer I thought I would throw out some help. I have a great deal of power tools from cabinetry work that I do on the side. They have been useless for me in carving! One tool that I have found helpful is a porter cable profile sander. The sander comes in a case and you can attach different sanding heads to match your profiles. The sanding heads are small and can fit into tight spaces. I don't light to use the tool itself, but the heads are helpful. The heads are made from some sort of rubberized material. They can be easily nicked or lost. Porter cable may actually sell the tips as replacements independent of the tool. If sanding is a concern, they might be helpful. Although I wouldn't advise buying the profiles and the sander as it can be expensive. Using them by hand also cuts down on dust, especially breathing it in. Good luck and health